Folding bed



(No Model.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 1. E. M. WOOD.

FOLDING BED. y

Patented Sept. 3, 1889.

Y Inventar,

W7-m wwf.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

E. M. WOOD.

FOLDING BBD.

No. 410,565. Patented Sept. 3. 1889.

N ETERS. Pilato-whom. Wnhlngmn. llc.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE..

EMERY M. VOOD, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

FOLDING BED.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 410,565, dated September 3, 1889. Application filed March 2, 1889. Serial No. 301,798. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EMERY M. VOOD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Folding Bed, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a bed standing at full length upon its head and with its bottom in front when not in use, and brought to a horizontal position for use by swinging the top or foot end forward and downward; and the object-s of my invention are to `support the bed in the upper half of this swing by an expanding floor-base formed at the back by the head of the bed-case itself resting upon the floor, and at the front by the foot-rollers of a two-legged stool pivoted at its top tothe bottom of the bed-case and connected by springs and folding braces to the head of the case, the feet of the stool rolling forward against the resistance of the springs until arrested by the braces and then becoming a rigid head-support whereon the bed is suiliciently poised to be easily swung to or from its horizontal position; also,'to provide mechanism causing the beddingto be sunk wholly within the bed-case by the closing of the pivoted head and foot boards of the bed; I attain these Objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a central vertical section lengthwise of the horizontal bed. Fig. 2 shows two half-end elevations of the same. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the bed in its upright position, and showing in open lilies two swinging positions marked,respectively, o; and y. Fig. 4t is a combined half-front and half-rear elevation of the upright bed. Figs. 5, 6, 7, and S are separate, entire, and enlarged perspective views of. the working parts, the more clearly showing their individual formation. The soft mattress and bedclothing, not being material, are not shown in the drawings.

Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

The bed-case C is a rigid wooden shell, of which the bottoni is paneled to form the front of the upright bed. At the foot the bed has the ordinary hinged foot-leg support L Z, upon the cross-bar i of which is fixed the handle o, to be grasped in swinging the bed up or down and in wheeling it about upon the floor when swung down. The two -legged tilting stool T t, Fig. 5, consisting of a pair of legs T and a cross-bar t, framed rigidly together, fits loosely between the side boards of case C, and at opposite points e, Fig. l, and at the bottom of the case the stool is pivoted to each of said side boards. The stool is provided with large floor-rollers R, with axles fixed in line with each other and parallel to the axial pivots e. The stool is also connected with the head of case C by a pair of closing-springs S, Figs. l and 2, for the purpose of imparting elastic resistance to the stool as a front-leg f support in all positions of the case,(shown in Fig. 3,) and also by a pair of jointed braces, 'D, Figs. l and 2, for the purpose of holding the stool as a sole and ,rigid head-leg support in all positions, (not shown in Fig. 3,) or rather below position y. Lastly, a cast-iron weight of twenty pounds tv, Figs. l, 2, and 3, attached to the extreme head of the bed-case C, completes the mechanism for swinging the bed up or down and for wheeling it about in a room by handle o. Springs S are preferably coiled springs applied so as to receive and resist torsion, having the ends extending straight as actuating-arms attached at their extremities one to stool T t, the other to the head of case C, while the coils are loosely mounted upon a spindle fixed upon cross-bar t at its inner end by a small iron bracket, (shown in Fig. 2,) while its outer end, extending through and projecting beyond leg T, forms pivot e. The bracket is not shown in Fig. l, because it would conceal and be confounded with the coil of the spring.

The braces D, Figs. l and 2, are terminally pivoted to thehead of the bed-case and to the body or legs of the stool, so as to open with and arrest their extension from each other, and to make them self-operative in releasing the stool each brace is provided near its folding joint with a rigid strut or cam CZ, Fig. l, projecting downward, so as to strike the iioor K and bend the brace whenever the bed is swung up to position y, as shown at CZ y, Fig. 3, th us releasing the stool to the reactive force of the springs.

In the upright position of the bed the head of the case rests posteriorly upon the iioor, as

IOO

shown at c, Figs. 3 and 4, the case still re quiring the front-leg support of the upright stool, land the foot-rollers R stand not directly beneath, but a little in advance of the pivotal connection e, as shown relatively at R and e, Fig. 3, and the continued reaction of the springs shouldbe suiiicientto require an initial tripping forward of the stool by the toe of the operator applied beneath its cross-bar twhen proceeding to swing down the bed. The stool then readily yields to force applied at handle o and tilts and rolls forward or backward with and in obedience to the swing of the case, forming with the head of the case an expanding and self-contracting floor-base until the case is inclined half-way to a horizontal position, when expansion is arrested by the braces, and the bed, with the aid of its head weight, stands securely upon its expanded iioor-base in readiness to swing either way from position y; but when swung below po.- sition y its head rises from the iioor and at once the braces take full effect, making the stool a rigid head-leg support, upon the footrollers of which the bed as a rigid whole is sufficiently poised to be easily swung toand from its horizontal position.

Next, as to the mechanism for fully inclosing the bedding within the single case C, a rigid foot-board lever-frame (shown separately inFig. 6) is formed of the foot-board f, its L.

two standards F F, and the cross-bar J, all framed together of awidth outside the standards to t closely yet loosely between the side boards of case C, and at m, Fig. 1, the j.

lever-frame is hinged to the interior bottom of the case upon a line crosswise the case, so as to swing upon the hinges as a fixed fulcrum from the open position shown in Figs. l and 2 to the closed position shown in Fig. 4, its top following the arc dotted therefrom in Fig. l. The head-board lever-frame (separately shown in Fig. 7, is formed of the headthe side boards of the case and swings upon 'fulcruin-pivots fn, fixed at opposite points to board h and its two standards H I-I, framed rigidly together, and it likewise `fits between the said side boards at n, Fig. l, from the open position there shown to the' closed position shown in Fig. 4; but instead of a weightbearing cross-bar like J the head-board lever-frame has a pair of short round lugs d iixed upon the inside of the standards H H,

one upon each standard and upon a line parallel to but removed from that of the fulcrum-pivotsn. The guide-frame g G, of which Fig. 8 is a separate enlarged view, and consisting of. a strong cross-bar g, terminating in a pair of short parallel arms G, is pivoted to the interior of case C at the opposite points b, Fig. l, whence it extends loosely between the standards I-I H, where it rests and slides upon the lug-pins c.

To permit the guide-frame to descend to the very bottom of the bed-case, its lower corners are recessed to receive and permit the sliding of the lug-pins within its own thickness, as shown at Ga, Fig. 8.. The movable interior bed-bottom I, Fig. l, preferably consisting of flat wooden spring-bars (shown atwise in Fig. 4) at its ends, rests directly upon the vibrating cross-bars g and J, and between the standards of the lever-frames, i being kept in place by small parting-stops j, nailed to the side of bar J, and common woodscrews z', securing the bars loosely to the bar g, and is thus supported and carried up and down by the oscillation of the lever and guide frames. The soft mattress and bedclothing, (not represented in the drawings,) when placed upon thel elevated bed-bottom I, Fig. l, will be suiiiciently raised above the sides `of the bed-case for convenient access until the bed is closed by turning down flatwise the lever-frames,.causing a depression of the ycross-bar g of the top of cross-bar .I and of jthe whole of spring-bars I, by which the sufvperincumbent bedding is sunk wholly within case C, the increased depth of the case at the 'head affording extra space for the pillows. QA cord provided with a convenient hook and "eye and tightly strained between. the tops of the lever-frames, as shown at hin Fig. 3, holds @the lever-frames closed, and the inclosed bed- @ding being somewhat compressed its elastic ,pressure keeps the spring-bars I in place while the'bed is inthe upright position.

gthe bed is closed, though not lettered, is disltinctly shown by dotted lines in the vertical portion of Fig. 3.

I do not claim a loose interior bed-bottom Iconsistingot' spring-bars supported at thc gendsg. nor do I broadly claim a folding and` `upright swingingbed, nor the application to Lsuch a bed of a supporting-spring or of a The position of the concealed parts when- IOO f counterpoisingfweight; nor doI broadly claim as original the combination, with a bed-case, of pivoted leg supports, with or without jointed retaining-braces, or with pivoted and foldingghead; or foot boards, in a folding bed.

I do not claim any novelty whatever in the ffoot-leg support hinged tov the case, as dclscribed,nor in the handle placed thereon, nor jin the cord-fastening for the closed head and foot boards ina folding bed.v

What I claim as my invention, and to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. In an upright swinging bed, a bed-case `standing when upright with its bottom in .front and its head resting posteriorly upon `the iioor, in combination with a two-legged lstool provided with a pair of footrollers, and at its top horizontally pivoted to the bottom -of said bed-case, so as to alternately stand upright with and be oppositely inclined and y thrust forward feet foremost by said bed-case, and a spring connecting to the head of said case said stool and imparting thereto elastic lresistance as a front-leg support to said bed- `case, substantially as described.

2. In an upright swinging bed, a bed-case standing when upright with its bottom in front and its head resting posteriorly upon IIO the iioor, in combination with a two-legged stool provided with a pair of foot-rollers and pivoted at its top transversely to the bottom of said bed-case, so as to alternately stand upright with and be oppositely inclined and rolled forward by said bed-case, and a spring connecting to said bed-case said stool and imparting thereto elastic resistance as a frontleg support to said bed-case, and a pivoted folding brace provided With a self-dislodging cam, and connecting to said bed-case said stool, and arresting, holding, and releasing the saine as a rigid head-leg support to said bed-case, substantially as described.

3. In an upright swinging bed, a rigid bedcase having a Weight iiXed to its head and standing When upright with its bottom in front and its head resting posteriorly upon the iioor, in combination with a two-legged stool provided With a pair of foot-rollers and pivoted at its top to the bottom of said bedcase, so as to permit said case to incline forward from an upright half-way to a horizontal position, but only by tilting and thrusting forward, feet foremost, the said stool, and a pivoted folding brace connecting the head of said case and said stool and opening with and arresting their extension from each other, all as a means for making the head, along with its Weightan effective counterpoise to the foot of said bed-case in the more inclined positions of the bed, substantially as described.

el. In a folding bed, the combination, With a bed-case and a movable bed-bottom therein, of an oscillating lever-frame serving as a folding foot-board for the bed, but pivoted to the interior bottom of said case and having a cross-bar extending beneath and supporting one end of said bed-bottom between its standards as a means for raising and lowering said bed-bottom within said bed-case, substantially as described.

5. In a folding bed, the combination, with a bed-case and a movable bed-bottom therein, of an oscillating lever-frame serving as a folding head-board for the bed, but pivoted to the interior sides and at the bottom of said case, and having its standards provided at the sides of said bed-bottom with lug-pins projecting beneath it, and an oscillating guide-frame transversely pivoted to the interior of said case, so as to project across and rest upon said lug-pins, and having a cross-bar extending beneath and supporting one end of said bedbottom, all as a means for raising and lowering said bed-bottom in said bed-case, substantially as described.

6. A folding and upright swinging bed consisting of the bed-case C, the movable interior bed-bottom I, the oscillating head-board and foot-board lever-frames h H and f F J, and guide-frame g G, the lever and guide frames pivoted to said case and imparting vertical motion to the bed-bottom therein, and the two-legged stool T t, provided With the footrollers R and pivoted to the bottom of said case, and the springs S, connecting said stool to said case and imparting elastic resistance thereto as a front-leg support for said case, and the folding braces D, each provided with a self-dislodging cam d, and connecting to said case, and arresting, holding, and releasing said stool as a rigid head-leg support for said bed, substantially as described and set forth.

EMERY M. WVOOD. Witnesses:

EBENEZER LANE, JAMES Oris. 

